


Virtual Insanity

by LuckyMiku64



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Metal Sonic is Sonic roboticized theory, POV Third Person, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-04-01 12:28:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13998351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuckyMiku64/pseuds/LuckyMiku64
Summary: Hidden somewhere in the dusty storage of the Eggman Empire sits Metal Sonic. The highest, most respected robot cowering in fear, of himself. When data and mind clash it leads to dents in his body.





	Virtual Insanity

**Author's Note:**

> If you are unfamiliar with the Sonic Roboticization theory I recommend you check out the video made by The Sega Scourge on the subject because you will not get a proper explanation here. I play with it a bit fast and loose with the concept but a little context will still make for a smoother read.

He scratches, he claws, he attacks his skin, he scratches at his cage. He leans against the cold wall that he can’t feel and tries to sink into it pretending it had comforting arms. There is one fact that is eating away at him right now and that fact is, he has a heart. There is a heart inside that is buried under a thousand layers of wires and it talks to him; it says if he keeps digging he can shed this burden, like a butterfly escaping its cocoon, his warm, soft skin is just underneath this cold, cruel metal. His data, on the other hand, knows better and presents every outcome of this, none positive or wise. Still, he carries on, wanting to believe his caged soul so damn much and because of this will, he chose blind faith above calculated logic.

His sharpen claws attack his own shell as attacking himself is a comfort at this point. When he hurts himself, he's fighting off the evil he has become. Over time his smooth blue paint starts chipping revealing the silver underneath. Robotnik, his lord won’t like this at all but he doesn’t need to know. This is a small, fixable problem. Nothing compared to past disassembly or on job mishaps. He’ll continue to be functional even if he does lose some aesthetic value. However, if his owner finds out this habit the punishment will likely outweigh the crime, organics never like it when their technology glitches or disobeys. 

The metallic hedgehog thought about that for a second, life forms are allowed to have flaws there’s even a special word for it, quirks. But robotic beings need to be perfect at all times. Why is that? Is it because they aren’t alive? That can’t be it. His team, Metal Knuckles, and Tails Doll had plenty life to them. Sure they aren’t actually his hothead rival or the little buddy of his time but they are the only thing keeping him somewhat sane, the closest to comfort he gets. They work together, laugh and most important understand each other. 

He sighs then looks down at his arm all his paint basically crumbling in on itself and a pile of chips forming on the filthy floor. No one needs to know about this, not even him if he wanted, he could delete this from his databank, so his voice chip won’t perform a Freudian-slip. Somehow that ability to forget at will disturbed him. In the past, he never could do that; he was forced to live with past mistakes and trauma. Now, everything is different. Everything is worse. 

He shouldn’t even be allowed to process all this, he shouldn’t be allowed to do anything against his programming let alone think independently but his free will denied his programming; as a result, the Mobian underneath the machine was suffering. The hedgehog could still recall when he felt the warmth of the sun, when he cried in pity, when he loved with fear, when he needed oxygen and even when he ate meals; all of that is gone now, it’s only memories of a past life. That fact alone makes him want to cry despite how incapable he is of doing that. 

This cycle was his way of life, if it wasn’t his own hardware chaining him down it was his own mind that lived in fear of his master and his past life. Even if he could re-enter his ruined timeline, no one would want him, not even his friends or family. He’s a fallen hero, instead of a symbol of hope, he’s one of despair, a true failure of freedom and the poster Mobian of fear. He’s truly hit the lowest a low, scrap underneath the doctors boot.  
Everything, hurts? How can he even know anymore? What even his suffering to a bot? 

No! No! He’s still alive! Underneath it all, he’s still alive! He just needs to escape it all, he just needs to be free! He needs to fight like he did in the past, rebel, become independent, become his own hero! He’ll destroy everything in his way if he had to! He just needed this, damn, metal off him! He hears a screech then a pop, his 2D eyes face towards his arm in horror. He had left deep claw marks on his body and in the process took off his arm plate. The paint was on thing but this, this was more than enough to notice. 

He panicked, the paint was one thing but this, this is damning. He can see it now, the reprogramming, the rewiring, the very death of his free will. He can almost feel his nonexistent heartbeat banging against his metallic chest and his lack of stomach wanted to upchuck. Could he even fix this himself? No, no he can’t and no one would help him without playing tattle tale to his master. The fear only made him scratch more without even noticing, treating himself as a stress toy, a very non-effective stress toy. Okay, now what? How does he get himself out of the hole he dug himself in? Does he just face his master and get it done and over with? Maybe, someone, a part of the outside would fix it for a fee? No that wouldn't work, he has a reputation. As he looked out the window wondering what to do he saw his copy zoom by, Sonic the hedgehog. His eyes widen, that’s it! If he gets into a fight with the hero, he has an excuse to be broken, to be damaged! Today, his worst enemy has saved him without even know it and Metal has never been so happy to fail.


End file.
